essentials for teaching middle school

The other day, I quizzed my fiancé to see if he could explain what my degree, Master of Arts in Inclusive Education, means.

He couldn’t.

Oh, man. Our wedding is in 7 months. Seven months to get him up to speed about why I’m spending thousands of dollars to become a well-respected, well-paid educator. **wink wink**

I’m not disappointed in him, though. I spoke with a superintendent recently who, also, had never heard of this degree. If you’re like my fiancé or the superintendent, you might also be confused by the term inclusive education. Logistically, this means I will be dual-certified to teach regular education and special education [Middle Childhood-Early Adolescence Regular Education (#72-777) and Middle Childhood-Early Adolescence Cross Categorical Special Education (#72-801)] by completing this program. Still confused? Probably. So, let me help you out:

Inclusion means all kids are superheroes.
Inclusion is valuing all children equally.
Inclusion is cherishing diversity.
Inclusion is commitment to the individual and to the community.
Inclusion is equitable.
Inclusion recognizes that each student has gifts to offer each other.
Inclusion benefits all students.
Inclusive education means educating students of all ability levels side-by-side to the most appropriate extent.

To read more about what the law says about inclusion, click here.
To view a short clip about the application of inclusion, click here.
To watch an incredibly moving documentary about one father’s experience with the inclusion of his young son with cerebral palsy, click here.